The College Democrats of America, the student organization of the Democratic Party, have officially endorsed pro-Palestinian campus protests. They have called on President Biden to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. The statement was approved by the organization’s executive board with a vote of 8 to 2. The College Democrats praised student protesters for their moral clarity in recognizing the war as destructive, genocidal, and unjust. They condemned college administrators for suspending and arresting protesters.
The endorsement comes after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests on campuses nationwide following a police crackdown at Columbia University. Students have set up encampments and continued protests even after facing suspensions and arrests. Protesters at Columbia took over a building on campus, and similar escalations have occurred at other universities like Portland State University and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.
The statement from the College Democrats also denounced MAGA Republicans and lawmakers for unfairly labeling all protesters as hateful. It condemned rising incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia and stated that calls for violence against Jewish and Muslim students are wrong. The organization clarified that supporting the freedom of Palestinians and opposing the actions of the Israeli government is not antisemitic.
The College Democrats criticized President Biden and other elected Democrats for not uniting behind calls for an immediate, permanent cease-fire in Gaza. They called for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas and a rapid push for a two-state solution recognizing an independent Palestinian state.
This statement marks a significant departure for the College Democrats, who have historically aligned with the Democratic Party. They emphasized their commitment to representing youth voices even when criticizing their own party.
While President Biden has called for a temporary cease-fire and supports a two-state solution, he has not made substantial changes to U.S. policies regarding Israel. The College Democrats’ statement reflects a growing divide between young voters and the Democratic Party on the Israel-Palestine issue.
The decision to release the statement was driven by a shift in the organization’s understanding of its role. The College Democrats aim to represent college students to the party rather than the other way around. The statement was predominantly written by the organization’s Muslim Caucus, highlighting dissatisfaction with President Biden’s Israel policy.
While the majority of the executive board supported the statement, there were two dissenting votes. Joshua Martin, the political affairs director, expressed concerns about the statement’s lack of condemnation for Hamas and its comparison of the protests to the civil rights movement. The statement also endorsed calls for universities to divest from Israel.
